That was not a single distracted moment. It was a sequence of choices.

I photographed the report and sent it to Uncle Richard. Then I called him. He answered immediately. “Amelia?”

“Do you have a minute?”

“For you, yes.”

I told him everything. I did not cry. I did not insult Brenda or Kendra. I simply read the timeline exactly as it appeared. When I finished, Richard said nothing.

“Are you still there?”